0°
Film Review

Bradley Cooper plays it safe with ‘Maestro’

The Leonard Bernstein biopic, now available on Netflix, is technically flawless – if a tad formulaic

A look at the credits should tell you everything you need to know about Bradley Cooper’s latest film. Co-produced by both Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese, the Leonard Bernstein biopic Maestro should ostensibly be a home run for Cooper.

Buzz arose around the film last year when photos emerged of Cooper, who both directed Maestro and starred as its subject Bernstein, wearing a large, prosthetic nose. The internet was quick to condemn Cooper and asked whether that was strictly necessary.

One of the greatest conductors and composers of the 21st century, one could argue, would be recognisable by more than just his facial features. But this, like so much else in Maestro, ultimately gels together into a strong film – even if the very finest details feel fudged.

Maestro treads a thoroughly familiar path as a biopic of a great-but-troubled artist. A short shot of Cooper as Bernstein transitions to the conductor’s youth. Speaking a sophisticated transatlantic, the first act is entirely in black and white – and so masterfully emulates the cinema of the 1940s and 50s that it could as well be a film in itself.

The young Bernstein gets a chance to conduct the New York Philharmonic, meets the love of his life and leads a secret double-life as a bisexual man at a time when something like that is almost unthinkable.

© Photo credit: Official trailer

It’s a strong start made better by its leads. Cooper clearly put all he could into his rendition of Bernstein: his accent, mannerisms and chain-smoking paint a picture of the man more than dialogue ever could.

As the action transitions into a more “modern” setting (and the film regains its colour), another aspect becomes clear. Those invested in the previously mentioned nose controversy should have waited. The make-up and prosthetics, created by contemporary master Kazu Hiro, are almost unbelievable.

In Maestro, Cooper’s face is perfectly transformed into that of Bernstein’s – down to the tiniest wrinkles as the latter goes through the stages of his life.

Cooper’s look and acting are complemented by Carey Mulligan’s astounding performance as Felicia Montealegre, Bernstein’s wife, who suffered his artistic self-torture, substance abuse and infidelity.

In the film, Bernstein quickly rises in the musical world, becoming one of the premier conductor-composers in the world. But with fame comes strife.

In delicately shot sequences, we get to see how Bernstein struggled with his marriage and sexuality as he continued his meteoric rise. Penned in his musical career and familial environment, there’s little room for him to live as his true self. He cheats, he goes on benders, he disappoints those closest to him.

© Photo credit: Official trailer

But while makeup and performances and shots all form a fully functional narrative, it’s something we’ve all seen before in other big-budget biopics. You don’t even have to be that familiar with the nitty-gritties of Bernstein’s personal life to know where this is going. Indeed, one can start to guess how the real story went based purely on the film’s plot beats.

Having first gained behind-the-camera experience with American Sniper, it was the critically and commercially successful A Star is Born which really let Cooper’s directorial chops shine.

But A Star is Born (which he wrote, produced and directed) suffers from a similar syndrome as Maestro. There is no question that the quality of the production is top-notch, that Cooper has the eyes and ears for what makes a good film.

But it’s almost as his recent ventures into direction are a little self-conscious; extremely ambitious, but liable to just miss the mark.

For every fantastic scene in Maestro (as was the case with A Star is Born), there’s another in which the technical finesse feels shaky-handed. Leonard and Felicia argue during the Thanksgiving parade in New York in one long, uncut scene -– and it’s brilliant.

But then there are moments in which Cooper leans too much into the formula, letting it do the saying when he should be showing. For a deeply romantically minded man (which Bernstein undoubtedly was), there’s an air of romanticisation in Maestro which puts plot before personage.

That’s not to say that Maestro fails its task. It simply plays its part in Bernstein’s legacy extremely safe – and Cooper can’t be faulted for that. It’ll almost definitely garner a couple of Oscar nominations, too.

Further, with Spielberg and Scorsese at his side, Cooper had two little angels on both shoulders whispering in his ear. So if nothing else, I rather look forward to what Cooper does next once his own directorial intuition really solidifies. Once he’s become a maestro himself.

Maestro is currently available on Netflix.